Charting the Future of the Juvenile Justice System: Reinventing Mission and Management.

Source: (1995) Spectrum: The Journal of State Government 68(2):51-66.

The juvenile justice system faces a crisis of confidence which threatens its continued existence. Neither the traditional treatment mission, which focused solely on rehabilitating offenders, nor the recent focus on punishment provide for a balanced response to juvenile crime. Neither meets public expectations to address safety, sanctioning, and rehabilitative needs. This paper addresses the problem in juvenile justice as a problem of management and the absence of a mission. The authorsí purpose is to introduce an alternative mission and new conceptual framework for juvenile justice that establishes goals, policies and priorities for intervention based on the needs of victims, offenders and community as customers of the system.